A documentary about 7 Trans people, at a summer retreat is starting on channel 4 , in the UK on Tue 8th November 10pm

Series Summary

Channel 4 follows seven transgender men and women as they come together to share their intimate and ongoing experiences of changing gender. These seven bright, funny and articulate individuals give uniquely personal insights into what it's like to change gender in Britain in 2011.

Each of the seven is trying to live in a society that routinely misunderstands them, regularly mocks them, and all too frequently assaults them, just because they are different.

For five weekends over the summer, this group come to a retreat where they can support each other, understand each other, and guide one another through the next critical stages of their journey to becoming the men and women they have always wanted to be.


Thought people might like to know.

http://www.channel4.com/programmes/my-transsexual-summer

Kia Ora Rachel,

Thanks for the link, I hope it will be shown in NZ...

Metta Zenda

Look forward to that

I personally don't bother watching these things. :/ I guess I'm alone in that. I saw the advert on C4 and thought "Yeah yeah whatever been their done that like I want to hear about the same crap I deal with daily on TV"

Quote from: pebbles on November 06, 2011, 04:48:38 AM
I personally don't bother watching these things. :/ I guess I'm alone in that. I saw the advert on C4 and thought "Yeah yeah whatever been their done that like I want to hear about the same crap I deal with daily on TV"

Understood. Personally, I find them interesting as a reflection of how the media types are thinking.

Most of these programs seem to try their best to portray a bunch of men, fooling themselves. Instead of individual expressing themselves.

To be honest, I don't think the programme is aimed at trans folk anyway (although I will be watching with interest), in the same way that the Seven Dwarves doc on C4 wasn't aimed at the Dwarf audience. These programmes, if well made, can shine a light on a part of society that is often misunderstood, maligned, feared, bullied, hated, pitied etc, and seeks to redress the balance at little. As long as it is sensitively done, not sensationalist and shows the participants in a true light, then I think it is a good thing. If they all come across as fame hungry attention seekers hell bent on changing the world and forcing the trans issue down peoples throats, then we are all in trouble, but I seriously doubt that is the case.

We all want to be able to go about our daily business with the minimum of fuss and interference, and whilst there will always be bigots, morons and those who are 'hard of thinking', if this doc helps to make a few more people more tolerant, and maybe think twice about hurling abuse (or worse) at trans folk, then great.

C4 and the other UK broadcasters signed up to a code of practice this year with regard to the depiction of transgender issues, which hopefully means we will see more positive depictions of trans folk, as with other minority groups in society (LBGT or otherwise).  As a filmmaker and a transsexual, I think this is a good thing and long overdue. What it leads to remains to be seen, and this doc series is the first major thing to be broadcast since, so it will be interesting to see how it is received.

A.x

Quote from: amybenedict on November 06, 2011, 11:33:03 AM
To be honest, I don't think the programme is aimed at trans folk anyway (although I will be watching with interest), in the same way that the Seven Dwarves doc on C4 wasn't aimed at the Dwarf audience. These programmes, if well made, can shine a light on a part of society that is often misunderstood, maligned, feared, bullied, hated, pitied etc, and seeks to redress the balance at little. As long as it is sensitively done, not sensationalist and shows the participants in a true light, then I think it is a good thing. If they all come across as fame hungry attention seekers hell bent on changing the world and forcing the trans issue down peoples throats, then we are all in trouble, but I seriously doubt that is the case.

We all want to be able to go about our daily business with the minimum of fuss and interference, and whilst there will always be bigots, morons and those who are 'hard of thinking', if this doc helps to make a few more people more tolerant, and maybe think twice about hurling abuse (or worse) at trans folk, then great.

C4 and the other UK broadcasters signed up to a code of practice this year with regard to the depiction of transgender issues, which hopefully means we will see more positive depictions of trans folk, as with other minority groups in society (LBGT or otherwise).  As a filmmaker and a transsexual, I think this is a good thing and long overdue. What it leads to remains to be seen, and this doc series is the first major thing to be broadcast since, so it will be interesting to see how it is received.

A.x

Interesting. I missed reading about that Code of Practice and had no idea this had happened. Have tried Googling for it but have failed to find anything, do you have a link?

Hopefully, as you say, this will be an improvement on the past and not the cringeworthy fodder of the past.

I posted about this in the news section, but anyway...

I was one of the applicants. I got forwarded info about this from my support group, and they were very nice to talk to, both over email and phone. I didn't get in this time, but they've asked to keep me on file in case of future programmes, which I'd like - I'm another of those wishing for better portrayal in the media, and this new Code of Practice sounds promising.

I know Max, by the way - he's hilarious

It was organised by an organisation called TransMediaWatch, and Channel4 signed up to their 'memorandum of understanding' back in march 2011. They have also had meetings with ofcom, the BBC and various others but I don't know who else (if anyone) has signed up...

www.transmediawatch.org

http://www.onroadmedia.org.uk/events/trans-media-action-funded-by-channel-4-and-the-bbc

some evidence of the BBC's involvement too...

Sorry Nemo, I thought I had checked that it hadn't been posted before I did.

I'm interested to see how the UK media will portray Trans people this time, I am not yet out in the real world, and I am in a small bubble surrounded by my friends and family who have all accepted me. To see how the wider world will react ultimatly, is my main concern, especially seen I have now set a date in the future when I finally want to finally become myself. I'm still sceptical about the whole show, and in particular the way that Trans girls always seem to come across poorly in these shows.

I hope that this one will change some public opinion. Especially after I had the worst taxi drive of my life, as the taxi driver basically grossly insulted and ripped apart a poor girl that he had picked up earlier, and I've know this taxi driver over 10 years, and I liked him. My friend held my hand in the back, while I tried to contain how upset I was, bless her! I got home and cried for nearly half an hour, and that wasn't even directed at me. It scared me and the thought that this is how real people think disgusts me. This show better do it well!

For those who are interested there is a live chat with Lewis and Drew (two of the participants) going on right now at http://cache.channel4.com/programmes/my-transsexual-summer/articles/live-qa-lewis-and-drew (I think its okay to link this?)

Just watched the first episode.

I really enjoyed it. A small group of transgendered people, getting together in a preposterusly lovely setting, for a weekend.

Had a look at the chat after, but sadly, because I had watched a later repeat of the program, I missed most of the discussion.

Not sure if any of those in the program are Susan's members, but if so, you did a really good job.

First programme that ive ever seen about trans folk that didnt offend me. Well done channel 4!

Quote from: El on November 09, 2011, 01:23:35 AM
First programme that ive ever seen about trans folk that didnt offend me. Well done channel 4!

Pretty much my thoughts too. Really enjoyed it.

Quote from: Nemo on November 06, 2011, 12:22:27 PM
I posted about this in the news section, but anyway...

There are various reviews of the show posted in "Arts and Entertainment" section of the News Forum.

Z

Wish I could see this in the u.s

Quote from: Zythyra on November 09, 2011, 06:27:27 AM
There are various reviews of the show posted in "Arts and Entertainment" section of the News Forum.

Z

Thank you Zanthia. I've read them now and am grateful to you for highlighting the links.

I'm tempted to respond to these reviews, to make a review of the review, though I may be missing the point, which I think the reviewers did. That it can only ever be the perspective of a few.

If one of us were to do a piece on being human for example. What it's like to be human, the characteristics of a human. Then along comes a review. 'Well, I'm also a human and I disagree with that piece completely.'

You always know when the Guardian is trying to appear intelegent while not having a clue. But being transgender is a bit like being a human. It's basically another problem to deal with. There's still the electricity bill, the polution in the air, who to vote for at the election, what''s on TV.

This program, sought to find a small group of people who were likely to get along. They are representitive of transgender people in as much as they are representive of seven. We're not all colourful, bubbly, clean, good looking or even particularly nice. We're people who just happen to have a problem.

The value of programs like this is they open a door into an aspect of life that many won't generally see. It's perhaps almost an irony that that the more successful a transgender person is, the less likely anyone else is to know about it.

Transgender people don't have horns.

They are not particularly sexually promiscuous.

They don't tend to be, transgender men with silky skin, massive curves wearing a man's suit and a silly mostashe and cane, or transgender women, with fishnet tights, short tight skirts over tiny bottoms, improbably large breasts, white buffon hair and over done makeup finished off with a ciggarette and chewing gum.

Transgender people are just people, who are dealing with the world, as actors, playing the wrong part.

I welcome these sort of programs. They portray a specific group of good people, dealing with the problems of the world. I have no complaint about not being included. I have no complaint about the possible impression that some may now have of what a transgender person is, nor the expectations that might create. I welcome it. Because if anyone is looking for the type of people they will see in programs such as these, they will be less likely to notice the rest of us as we continue our own struggles to just fit in and be normal.